Tompkins 'amazed' Shefflin risked damaged knee

Former Cork football manager Larry Tompkins has expressed his amazement at Kilkenny’s decision to start Henry Shefflin in Sunday’s GAA Hurling All-Ireland final.

Shefflin, who damaged his anterior cruciate ligament in last month’s semi-final win over Cork, staged a remarkable recovery to start at centre-forward in the Cats’ ultimately unsuccessful bid for the five-in-a-row.

However, the Ballyhale man’s Lazarus-like comeback lasted just 13 minutes before he crumpled under the Cusack Stand clutching his knee, sparking fears that he may be out of action until next summer.

Tompkins, who tore cruciate ligaments in both knees in his playing days with the Rebels, believes Shefflin’s knee was never going to withstand the intensity of an All-Ireland final.

“If you have any damage in your cruciate ligament whether it is a small tear it is impossible to try and play at this level,” said Tompkins, who was speaking at the launch of the 2010 oneills.com Kilmacud Crokes All-Ireland Football Sevens in Croke Park on Monday.

“You might survive at Club level with your experience carrying you through a slower proceedings.

“When you are playing at inter-county level or in an All-Ireland final you have to be 100 per cent. There was no way he was going to be that if he had any problem with the cruciate ligament.”

Tompkins, who suffered one of his cruciate knee ligament tears in the final minutes of the Rebels’ 1990 All-Ireland win over Meath, says it is inevitable that Shefflin will now have to go under the knife to rectify the damage.

The Kildare native used the example of former England soccer player Alan Shearer, who suffered a minor tear to his cruciate and played on for a few months, before being forced to admit defeat and have the operation, to illustrate his point.

“I remember the times I went to England for rehabilitation after my surgery and met Alan Shearer who had a similar problem at the time.

“He basically just tore his cruciate a small bit. They tried to get him back the same way. He was playing for three or four months going on for 20 minutes and coming off then a half hour and coming off. Eventually he had to have the operation. That is where I would probably see Henry at the moment.”